Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. 14, 1952 W, GlFFARD 2,614,021

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed June 25, 1947 Patented Oct. 14, 1952 2,614,0214 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS .Whitney Giffard, Detroit, Mich., assignor vto Nash- Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maryland i v Application June 25, 1947, Serial No. 757,017

. Y Y1 This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and more'particularly to vcabinets therefor.

Itis an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator cabinet having an improved arrangement for inexpensively hinging an interior 'door'thereto by utilizing a portion of the cabinet breaker strip to form portions 'of the hinging arrangement.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigerator cabinet having an improved arrangement to conceal parts of an interior door hinge and to conceal door biasing means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement-of a refrigerator cabinet interior door hinge and door biasing means to effect an easy or free swinging-door movement.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, erator cabinet embodying features of the invention; Y Y

Fig.,2 is a cross sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, isometric view of a structural detail of the cabinet.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral 2l) designates generally, a refrigerator cabinet of the household type. The cabinet 20 comprises, in general, an outer metal casing 22 and an inner metal liner 24. Insulation 25, which may be of any suitable type, is interposed between the outer casing 22 and the liner 24. At the front of the cabinet, outer marginal ,portions of the casing 22 and liner 24 are overlapped by breaker strip sections 26 which, extending around the door opening, serve also as finish trim. A door 28 is provided for closing the opening in the front of the cabinet and may be hinged to one side of the cabinet proper. The liner 24, together with a horizontal partition or shelf 30 forms walls of an upper, food storage compartment 32 and a lower compartment 34.

A pair of interior doors 36 are provided for closing the front of the lower compartment 34 to decrease air circualtion between this compartment and the upper compartment 32 and front view of a refrigpresent v1 Claim. (Cl. S12-319) casing 22 is provided at the front further to decrease ilow of room air into com'- partment34 when the outer or main door 28 .is opened. Theinterior doors 36 are disposed adjacent the inner surface of the outer door 28 and-are hinged respectively to the opposite side breaker strips 2S. In the present instance; the interior doors 36 are provided with handle grips 2 which are recessedv for clearance with the outer door 28. In the present construction, the interior doors 36 are shown as made of a plastic material, but may be made of glass or any other suitable material. p

The breaker strips 26 are preferably of general angle shape in cross section having opposite, marginal side edge portions 46, 42 respectively overlapping marginal portions of the casing 22 and of the liner 24. As shown, in Figs. 2 and 4, the of the cabinet with a channel portion 44 in which the marginal portion 4) of the breaker strips 26 is received and tightly held. The outer marginal portion of the liner 24 adjacent the door opening is preferably offset, as at 46, to receive the inner marginal portion 42 of the breaker strips 26 and screws or other suitable fasteners (not shown) may be used to attach the liner and breaker strip together at the overlapping portions thereof. An intermediate portion 48 of the breaker strip 26 may be angularly disposed relative to the marginal portions thereof to give a flared eiect to the A access door opening. The breaker strips 26 may be made of any suitable. low heat conducting material, such as phenolic plastic.

The interior doors 36 are each mounted on the side breaker strips 26 by a pair of vertically spaced hinges, designated generally by the numeral 50. The hinges 56 each comprise a pair of hinge butts 5l, 52 and a connecting pintle 54. In order to provide an inexpensive, substantially concealed hinge, Ivmake the hinge butts 5I, 52 respectively integral with the doors and side breaker strips and recess the side breaker strips, as at 56, to receive the hinge butts 5 I. As shown, the hinge butts 52 on the breaker strip 26 are formed by horizontal portions of the recesses 56 which position these hinge butts 52 behind the breaker strip proper where the hinge pintles 54 are concealed by the breaker strip and by the hinge butts 5l in the recesses 56. The hinge butts 5l on the doors 36 are extended portions of the door hinge edges; the upper and lower hinge butts 5l being positioned respectively above and below the hinge butts 52 of the breaker strip. Aligning bores in the hinge butts 5I, 52 receive the pintles 54; the pintles 54 being made sumciently long so that inner end portions 54 thereof extend beyond or project out of the inner ends of hinge butts as shown in Fig. 3.

Adjacent their outer ends, each of the pintles 54 carries a transverse abutment member or key 60 in the form of a pin having laterally projecting end portions engaging snugly in a keyway or socket 62 in the'outer end surfaces ofi each of the door hinge'fbuttsi: The pins 60 connect the pintles 54 to the hinge butts 5| to turn therewith when the doors are opened to tension further,l aV pair of helical coil springs 64 provided for each door to bias the doors toward closed position.

Also, the springs 64 are arrangedto. hold. the key pins 60 in their respective hinge butt sockets 62. The springs 64 of each pair are opposed and are arranged in vertical axial alignment behind the breaker strip 26 where they are concealed from view. Outer ends of the coil springs 64l are' 'at-V tached respectively to .the inner ends of the pintles. and inner ends. of the coilsprings are attached respectively to a pair of lugs` 66 formed integral with and vbehind the side breaker strips 28. These springs 64 are tensioned to hold the doors 36y closed, the tension on the springs being increased by a winding of the springs as the pintles turn on opening of the doors.

In assembling the doors with thebreaker strips 26,. the pintles 54 are inserted in the bores of the hinge butts 5U, 5l from the inner ends thereof and from the rear side of the side breaker strips before the latter are secured to the cabinet.. The pintles 54. may then be pushed outwardly beyond theouter endsurfaces of the hinge. butts.5| until the key` pins 6U can be inserted in the transverse bores. provided therefor in and adjacent, the outer endsof the pintles. The springs 6d may then be attachedto the inner ends of the pintles 52 and to the breaker strip. lugs iv which tensions the springs with a forceacting to hold the key pins `6l) inthe. hinge buttfsockets 62 and, through. the turnablepintles 54, to hold the doors 36 closed.

From the foregoing description it will be noted thatv I.' have provided. an improvedV arrangement for hinging interior doors. to a refrigerator cabnet breaker. strip in. an inexpensive manner with the hinge parts substantially concealed'behind the.breaker strip. Also, it will be vnoted that VI .4 have provided an improved arrangement for biasing an interior door toward closed position and for concealing the door biasing means and hinge parts behind the breaker strip.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art' that' various modificationslmaybe made therein without departing-from the spirit or the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

Iclaim;

In a refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet heat breaker strip arounda corner of an access opening 15o/the' cabinet, a pair of vertically spaced recesses in the outer face of said heat breaker strip. hinge. butts onsaid breaker strip formed by and at each of said recesses, said hinge butts joining they recessed wall to the heat breaker strip proper behind the latter and having apertures, a pair of vertically spaced.- pintles respectively received and rotatable in said aper.tures, a pair oftorsion springs having ends respectively attachedy to sald rotatable pintles and their other ends anchored to said heat breaker strip between said recesses. said springs acting to rotate said pintles. a door to close said access opening having a pair'of hinge butts disposed rearwardly thereof respectively engaging in said recesses and apertured to receive said pintles,l and means locking said door butts to said pintles and held in locked position by said springs.

WHITNEY GIFTARD.

REFERENCES CITED I The. following references are of recordin the ille. ot this patent.:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date Philipp Oct'. 313.1944 

